New Model transfer bar safety allows the cylinder to
be fully-loaded with six cartridges.

Since the
introduction of the Ruger Super Blackhawk back in 1959, it
has been the flagship of the Ruger single action revolver line.
Those original Supers wore a polished blued finish, walnut
stocks, and were packed in a mahogany presentation case. The
Super had better protection for the rear sight than did the
original Blackhawk, and had a dragoon-styled steel grip frame.
Chambered for the 44 Magnum cartridge, the Super Blackhawk was
the choice of hunters and shooters who needed a reliable,
strong, and durable 44 Magnum revolver. When the Ruger
Bisley was added to the line in 1985, it accommodated
shooters who needed a grip frame to better handle heavy recoil,
having a more comfortable grip. In some hands, the Blackhawk
and Super grip frames deliver pain quickly when shooting
heavy loads, and most find that the Bisley grip frame is more
comfortable and more controllable to shoot, especially when
shooting bullets at magnum speeds which weigh in the 300 grain
class. The Ruger single action serves as the chassis for most of
the custom heavy-caliber sixguns that are built today, and some
top-tier builders, such as Hamilton
Bowen, insist upon using the Bisley grip frame on the 475
and 500 caliber revolvers.

Lipsey’s, a large firearms distributor in
Louisiana, is now selling a compact, easy-packing version of the
Ruger Bisley Super Blackhawk. This Lipsey’s Exclusive revolver
is built primarily of stainless steel. The sixgun is chambered
for the 44 Magnum cartridge, and being a Ruger Super, it can
handle any 44 Magnum load on the market, as well as any 44
Magnum handload that is listed in reputable handloading manuals.
The Lipsey's 44 Bisley Super wears a three and three-quarters
inch (3.75”) barrel, and has a button-head base pin, giving
the ejector a sufficient stroke and allowing for the easy
removal of the cylinder without having to remove the ejector rod
housing. The sixgun has the Bisley features which make it easier
to shoot; Bisley grip, lower sculpted Bisley hammer, and curved
Bisley trigger. All of these features make the revolver more
comfortable to use, compared to the original Super Blackhawk
parts. If your hand is like mine, the standard Super grip frame
allows the trigger guard to really abuse the middle finger while
shooting heavy loads. The Bisley grip frame alleviates this
problem. The sixgun shown here wears a set of laminated grips
that are well-fitted to the frame, and the color is a good
contrast to the satin stainless metal finish. As they should be,
the sights are black, with the front blade pinned to the ramp,
and the rear sight is fully adjustable.

Specifications are listed in the chart below.
Weight is listed in ounces. Trigger pull is listed as pounds of
resistance. Linear measurements are listed in inches. The
cylinder length does not include the ratchet nor the integral
bushing. Height includes the sights, with the rear set at its
medium height adjustment.

Chambering

44 Remington Magnum

Overall Length

9.5"

Overall Height

5.72"

Weight Unloaded

44.6 oz.

Barrel Length

3.751"

Cylinder Length

1.702"

Cylinder Diameter

1.730"

Barrel / Cylinder Gap

0.004"

Trigger Pull As Delivered

4.3 lbs.

The .44 Magnum has proven
itself to be plenty capable of taking medium and large game for
over fifty years now, when fired from a good sixgun. For
protection from animals with teeth and claws, like large bears,
I like a heavy cast lead bullet. For lighter game like Southern
whitetails, I prefer a good hollow point, and there are many
good ones on the market. I think that for all of my hunting and
protection from animals with a 44 sixgun, I could get by just
fine with only two commercial loads. For hunting medium game, I
like the Buffalo Bore loads that use the Barnes XPB bullet.
These lead-free hollow-nose bullets expand quickly upon impact,
but hold together for deep penetration. For the heavy stuff, I
like the bone-smashing power of the 340 grain LBT bullet as
loaded by Buffalo Bore. This bullet has a great sectional
density, and penetrates deeply. For handloads, I would load the
same Barnes 200 grain XPB, pushed to over 1400 feet-per-second
(fps) from the short-barreled Ruger, and load the same heavy Cast
Performance LBT or the Belt
Mountain Punch bullet for the heavy stuff. Chronograph
results are listed in the chart below, with velocity readings
taken at a distance of twelve feet from the muzzle. Velocities
are listed in feet-per-second (fps). Bullet weights are listed
in grains. Velocity readings were taken on a cool day with an
air temperature in the fifty-two degree Fahrenheit range and a
relative humidity of thirty percent, at an elevation of
approximately 541 feet above sea level. JHP is a jacketed hollow
point bullet. JSP is a jacketed soft point bullet. LBT is a
hard-cast lead bullet with a wide, flat meplat. Lead Free is the
above-mentioned Barnes XPB homogenous copper hollow-nose bullet.

Factory Loads

Ammunition

Bullet Weight

Velocity

Buffalo Bore LBT

340

1231

Buffalo Bore LBT

305

1288

Buffalo Bore JFN

300

1257

Buffalo Bore Lead Free

225

1407

Buffalo Bore Lead Free

200

1480

Buffalo Bore JFN

270

1393

Buffalo Bore LWC

200

1219

Buffalo Bore LHP

180

1381

Cor-Bon LBT

320

1246

Cor-Bon JSP

300

1236

Cor-Bon JHP

165

1343

Handloads

Bullet

Bullet Weight

Velocity

Cast Performance LBT

320

1242

Barnes XPB

200

1414

As expected, the Bisley Super Blackhawk
functioned flawlessly. With the heaviest loads, recoil was
stiff, but not painful. While shooting the sixgun for an
extended range session of chronograph and function testing, I
put on my PAST shooting glove, but even without the glove, the
handgun drew no blood from the shooter. Extraction was easy,
with the empty cases falling from the chambers without effort
using all of the Buffalo Bore loads and handloads, even the
heavy 340 grain ammunition. Buffalo Bore uses Starline
cases. The Cor-Bon heavy loads did require a lot of effort
to extract. The Remington cases that Cor-Bon used stuck tightly
in the chambers when using the Cor-Bon 320 grain ammo, but other
than that, no problems were noted.

The Bisley Super Blackhawk comes shipped in a
hard plastic case with instruction manual and a padlock. Like
all Ruger firearms, this Lipsey’s Exclusive Bisley Super
Blackhawk is built in the USA.

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